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Jessica White (born 1984 in Buffalo, New York) is an African-American model and occasional actress.
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At the age of 16 she was scouted in her hometown of Buffalo, New York and had gone to Personal Best modeling school, run by Susan Makai, at age fourteen.
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Then was whisked off to Paris where she signed a contract with the IMG agency.
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In the next six months she landed campaigns for CoverGirl, ChloƩ, and Gap.
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She was soon walking the runways for New York’s top designers including Ralph Lauren, Oscar de la Renta, Marc Jacobs and Tommy Hilfiger.
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Tyra Banks dubbed her "the model of her generation."
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In June 2007 White signed a contract with cosmetics giant Maybelline, making her the first Black model to land two major cosmetics contracts.
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She has walked the runways for New York’s top designers including Ralph Lauren, Oscar de la Renta, Marc Jacobs, and Tommy Hilfiger.
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In 2003, White was chosen for a coveted shoot in Sports Illustrated's famed Swimsuit Issue.
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She was also featured in the 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008 and 2009 issues.
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In 2005, she became the first African-American model to be featured in three consecutive editions of the annual feature.
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In addition to working with world class photographers she was the object/subject of several Joanne Gair body painting works in these editions.
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She holds the distinction of being the first Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model to appear on the cover in a body painting although only as an inset
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White is currently part of Elite plus in New York City.
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In 2006, White had a small role in Big Momma's House 2 and has appeared in music videos for singer John Legend, rapper Jay-Z and Robin Thicke. In 2008 she appeared in The Young and the Restless.
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Birth name | Jessica White |
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Date of birth | 1984 (age 24–25) |
Place of birth | Buffalo, NY |
Height | 5'9.5 (US), 176.5cm (EU) |
Hair color | Black |
Eye color | Black |
Measurements | 34-24-34 (US), 86.5-61-86.5 (EU) |
Dress size | 4 (US), 34 (EU) |
Shoe size | 7 (US), 39 (EU) |
Agency | Elite Model Management |